We would like to take a moment to summarize what we have heard about significant changes announced at Digital Domain so far.

As a disclaimer, this information comes from secondary sources and some of it is potentially hearsay. If we got something wrong, please speak up and correct us!

Digital Domain had a company-wide meeting yesterday on June 13th. In it, CEO Ed Ulbrich informed employees about long-standing rumors that have been circulating around. We have summarized the main talking points in the list below.

DD Executive management feels that in order to remain competitive in feature production, it simply is no longer cost-effective to perform shot production in Los Angeles.

All shot production work will take place in Vancouver and elsewhere for features, no longer in Los Angeles.

DD Venice facility, located at 300 Hampton Drive, to close permanently sometime before the end of the year. It has long been rumored that the lease on the buildings expires this year, and they opted not to renew it.

DD Commercials is doing well, and will remain in the Playa Vista facility.

DD unable to locate a building to house feature, commercial, and virtual production in the area.

DD currently employs roughly 450 people in the Los Angeles area, including features and commercials. That number is to be scaled down to 250, and all remaining employees will be consolidated in the Playa Vista facility.

Just finished viewing a featurette about the innovative technology used in the filming of the “Sky Tower” set piece for Joseph Kosinski’s Oblivion. The full text of the article and video is available here:

While the video does indeed showcase some impressive techniques used to create realistic front projections surrounding a set, and provides very realistic lighting on the actors, there is one glaring omission.

Not ONCE is visual effects supervisor Eric Barba mentioned, nor is the work of Digital Domain. The video applauds the creation of one of the first “in-camera visual effects” with not so much as a cursory nod to the people who are involved with conceptualizing and creating them.

Just received this from one of our readers via e-mail last night. We wish that we could take credit for it as it is artfully written, poignant, and well-voiced.

Fellow VFX professionals, an amazing thing has happened recently. A tipping point has been reached and it would seem that our green spring is upon us. We suddenly ﬁnd ourselves asking each other what our next step ought to be.

Everyone in this industry can agree that the current business model is not sustainable. VFX facilities all over the world are being squeezed by their clients to accept razor-thin margins as the best case scenario, and they are passing their hardship on to the artists, engineers, and support staff that work for them because they simply have no other choice.

We VFX professionals love our jobs and we love this business, for all its ﬂaws. We often consider our employers to be partners and even friends. We want desperately to see the facilities form a trade group to protect their interests. But they have thus far been unable or unwilling to do so.

A small contingent of us have been wracking our brains trying to ﬁgure out a way to force this issue. Many of us want to go union as an industry, but we would like to see our employers take this step with us and form a trade group. However, we have ﬁnally come to the hard realization that we cannot force this move upon them. We cannot coerce our employers in to taking this leap, no matter how badly we would like to. We can only be responsible for ourselves and our own actions.

Fellow VFX professionals around the world, it is time for us to take the lead. We will never be as powerful again as we are at this moment. It should be clear by now that no one, not the facilities and certainly not the studios, will take our cause up as long as it affects their bottom line. No one will wave a wand and speak the magic words “you are respected!” If you are looking for someone to blame for your current situation, look in the mirror. And then resolve to take control of your own destiny and join a damn union already.

It will not be easy. No one will hand this to you. It will take leaders who will do headcounts, hold meetings, and generally risk their necks for something greater than themselves. But look at it this way… one hundred years ago people were getting shot and beaten for organizing. To our colleagues in the western world, what is the worst thing that could happen, you’ll be laid off? In this industry, that’s just another thanks for a job well done anyway. It won’t be easy, but it won’t be that hard.

As for the facilities, we have to have faith that once they see where we are headed they will come along with us. They will have to, or they risk being squeezed from both sides.

However, there are gestures that we could make as a community that would guide them toward the right choice and help them make this transition as smoothly as possible. Our contracts can be negotiated so that some of the additional costs to the employer ramp up over time, so the facilities have an opportunity to reassess the situation and form a trade group. Once trade group talks have begun, we could stage walk outs or protests at facilities that are not participating. We can create a partnership with the trade group and together we could revolutionize an entire global industry.

But ﬁrst we have to form a single voice among ourselves. And like it or not, that means organizing.

Many of you who read this document will approach it with an anti-union bias. Perhaps due to your political views the term holds negative connotations that you can’t explain. Some of you may believe that unions can only lead to laziness, or a rigid seniority system where undeserving veterans stiﬂe the advancement of younger, hungrier individuals. To you we say this: our union is what we decide it is. No more, no less.

To that end, as VFX professionals the writers of this document would want to see the following in any guild or union that we would join:

Hourly rates with overtime, double time, and reasonable limits to the amount of hours worked in consecutive days and weeks. (This is already CA state law. If your employer is violating labor laws where you live REPORT THEM to your labor board.)

No stiﬂing of mobility among the ranks. Seniority has very little inﬂuence upon pay rate or position. Artists are awarded positions and pay based on merit just as they presumably are now.

No miscategorization of workers by the employer.

Hold fees for all freelance employees. Minimum notice for release.

Reasonable wage minimums, varying by position, that increase annually at the rate of inﬂation.

Increased rates for artists who are required to move from their ‘home base.’

Holiday pay, vacation days, and sick days accrued over time.

Pay structures for artists working remotely on their own equipment.

A cooperative relationship with management. We are all here to get the job done with as much quality and efﬁciency as possible, and would want to see employees negotiating in good faith to that end.

The general consensus that we have been seeing online and in the workplace is that this is not necessarily about earning more pay. It is about pushing the industry to adopt standards that will lead to healthier lifestyle for everyone in the ﬁeld of VFX.

It is also worth noting, for those who are unfamiliar with the process, that no union or guild contract can be ratiﬁed without a majority vote by the employees under said contract. We sit at the bargaining table, we approve the conditions of our agreement, we enforce them. No one wins if the employer folds. Not the guild, not the workers, certainly not the facility.

Note that a global union and trade group movement does not directly address the contentious issue of government subsidies. The authors of this document believe that this is a discussion for another day. The courts of treaty law and public opinion will ultimately decide upon their continued use. This is a global industry and it will continue to be so. The subsidies themselves are the symptom of a greater problem: the VFX community has little to no perceived leverage vs. their clients. It is our belief that the formation of these entities will correct that imbalance.

Regarding Pi Day (March 14th 2013), we should turn it in to a day of solidarity among VFX artists. Wear green and take time to talk to your coworkers about what we can do to make life better for all of us.

However, we cannot settle for a mere symbolic gesture. This process must begin immediately to capitalize on the visibility and energy we have harnessed in our community. And it begins with us workers.

To the reader of this document: Set up meetings with a union rep. Educate yourself about what it would mean to be in a guild or union. Sign a card, and then encourage your coworkers to sign cards. As Dave Rand suggested in his YouTube video, let’s see how many union cards we can sign before Pi Day. Let that day also serve as your deadline. Get head counts in your facility so you know when you have majority support. Take responsibility for your situation and make something happen.

If the VFX business is to change, it requires bold action and collaboration between industry professionals at all levels. Competition will continue to be ﬁerce, as it should be, but if we succeed we will be competing in a market of efﬁciency, ideas, and innovation, instead of one comprised of fear and exploitation.

We VFX professionals have just begun to awaken. The power we hold over this industry is incredible and should not be underestimated. Anyone who doubts this should note the deafening silence from the studios, the academy, the MPAA, and most every facility in the business. They are afraid. They are hoping we will go away and forget the insults and mistreatment. But everyday they open Facebook and Twitter and see an army of digital green.

Show them that we are just getting started. Look inward for your strength. Band together around the world and #HoldTheLine against unsustainable business practices and unsustainable lifestyles.

A gentleman on Facebook quipped that we should make sure to unify our message before this turns into another Occupy Wall Street. Despite the name of this blog, we would tend to agree. When the WGA went on strike several years ago, they had a very clear list of demands, and they knew who they were delivering this list to.

Let’s do the same for us.

VFXSoldier has done quite a bit to lobby the WTO, and we fully support his efforts. Along these lines, we demand an end to illegal trade subsidies. Visual Effects work should be awarded based on merit and talent, not based on corporate welfare for the movie studios.

We want a union and a collective bargaining agreement in place. We want pension, health, and welfare coverage for all. We want guaranteed pay, and payment for all hours worked, including overtime. This should be an international union, as artists who work in the UK and Canada should be entitled to the same overtime pay as those in the United States.

For the facilities that employ us, we want several things as well. We want a trade organization, so that these companies can protect their interests. This trade organization should accomplish two main goals. First, movie studios, or any client, will pay for overages when additional work is asked for. Nobody, or no company, will work for free. Second, when a facility creates a star character in a film, such as R+H did with Richard Parker in Life of Pi, the company should be entitled to residual income, as if that character were a SAG actor.

Finally, and possibly the most important demand of all:

We want to be recognized by the entertainment industry and the general public as artists, not technicians. We are not assembly line workers creating a commodity product. We are gifted and talented artisans who create a unique work of art for every shot in every film that we touch.

We should send this list to the six major movie studios, and other independent film makers who wish to use visual effects in their films.

This is great news. One of the major issues that VFX artists have taken with the union is the lack of a web presence. As a community, we really need an online reference that we can consult from time to time when questions need to be answered. In addition, the online presence gives artists the security and anonymity inherent with anything online.

Imageworks employees are treated to a gathering on a semi-monthly basis, appropriately named monthlies. For those of you who haven’t spent any time there, the format is pretty simple. A handful of executives will get up in front of the theater and speak briefly about their respective departments, and they will talk about corporate direction, future bids, etc. Next, a Visual Effects supervisor or two will address the crowd and do a brief presentation on the shows that they are leading. Finally, sizzle reels for the shows in production are displayed for folks to see what other teams are working on.

It’s a nice way to take a break from work, see other folks face to face, appreciate their work, and have a few beers afterward.

This monthlies, however, had an interesting twist. Imageworks executive Randy Lake addressed the crowd and made everyone aware that management knows about the organization attempt. He said that while he respects the rights of employees to organize, he would encourage those employees to check out some of the benefits that Imageworks already offers employees. He then proceeded to encourage folks to get in contact with P&O (Sony speak for HR) to see what sort of benefits they have available to them.

While we don’t discount the fact that Imageworks offers benefits to freelancers and better benefits to staff members, we should point out the biggest issue with Mr. Lake’s points: most of the employees in that room are going to leave Imageworks at some point in the future, voluntarily or otherwise.

Even if Sony offered its freelancers the best benefits in the world, it wouldn’t change the fact that as soon as they leave, they would no longer be eligible for any of these. That’s where the Union comes in. Health care, pension, and 401(k) are portable with the Union, so not only do you get great benefits, you get to keep them no matter where you work, providing you work a certain number of hours at a union shop per year.

Apologies for being silent as of late. Occasionally, we need to spend time with our families for a little R&R after shows deliver.

What an amazing last couple of weeks! VFXSoldier was able to successfully call Digital Domain Media Group CEO John Textor to task, and he has given a one-on-one interview with FXGuide, explaining his position.

SpiUnion has really kicked it into high gear, with the help of The Animation Guild. Today marked the first meeting about organizing a visual effects facility that has occurred since 2003, when the original attempt to organize SPI was made.

Back in 2003, the climate at Imageworks was very different. Many employees had been given staff positions. The company offered profit sharing, and a handsome 401(k) match for staff employees. Staff employees were given paid sick leave and vacation, and even freelancers were given the option to have PPO health insurance. Most importantly, in 2003, Imageworks did not have facilities in Vancouver, Albuquerque, and Mumbai.

Things have changed over time for the worse. The outsourcing threat now looms large before us as artists. For example, Imageworks is attempting to recruit just over 100 people to work on Smurfs 2, and all of these positions are to be filled in Vancouver. While there are some exceptions, gone are the staff positions, and gone are profit sharing and generous 401(k) matching. Imageworks does offer health benefits to freelancers, but currently they are HMO only.

Artists in Culver City (and hopefully in Vancouver, too) are uncertain about their future, and now the option of standing together in the face of adversity looks even more appealing. Judging from the turnout at today’s organizational meeting, and the informed, articulate questions that artists were asking Mr. Kaplan, we have high hopes for a successful organizing drive.

Thanks go to Mr. Kaplan, SpiUnion and VFXSoldier for setting everything up and for getting the word out.

Many of you have read VFXSoldier’s excellent post on some of the more questionable labor practices of Digital Domain Media Group.

We at OccupyVFX are under the impression that it is high time to mount an organizing effort for Digital Domain employees in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Since Florida is a right-to-work state it may prove more difficult to include them at first. Our goal is to follow the lead of new blogger SpiUnion and bring Digital Domain into the organizing drive.

Is the climate right for this? Artists and production management personnel must be sufficiently concerned about their current employer to want to make a change for the better. So I put it to you: is DD ready to be organized?

We would love to hear your comments on the issue. All comments posted to this page are visible to the public, so if you wish to communicate with us privately, please feel free to email us. You will find contact information on the About page of this site.